Happy Adoption Day Melissa

Dear Melissa,

Four years ago today I held you in my arms for the first time.  I will never forget that day, the anxiety, the adrenaline, the joy, and the tears.  Words can not accurately describe the emotions of that day.  I am still amazed by the fact that it has been 4 years.  You continue to amaze me everyday. Here are a few things I want to remember about you the year you turned 4.  You definitely have your fathers sense of humor, and you make me laugh all the time, even though sometime you get embarrassed when I think your funny.  You are growing up everyday.  I year a go you were a new big sister and I loved to watch to make your baby laugh and smile.  It surprises me how much you have grown up and changed in the last year.  You speak so clearly now.  Gone are all the cute baby words you use to say.  This year you started pre-school and while it was my idea to begin with I was surprised by how hesitate I was.  I know you love to learn and you are so good at it.  But I wanted to keep you close.  I no longer have total control over what happens in your day and the thought is thrilling and frightening at the same time.  You also had your first dance recital this year.  You were so CUTE!  I was so excited to see your first time dancing on stage.   I loved every minute of it.  I look forward to many more.  I look forward to helping you figuring out what you are really interested in, and what your talents are.    The way you play is growing and changing too.  You love to color, and read books, and play with your new doll house.  I can't begin to imagine all the things you will learn to do next year.  I love you sweetie.

Mom

Things I've been meaning to write about...

In my head I have written beautiful posts about:

• The Annual Christmas Tree Hunt
• Melissa first Dance Recital
• The Dolls I made for Christmas
• The Kids visiting Santa Claus
• Christmas in General: including the much missed Christmas Breakfast, and Festival of Trees
• My super awesome cute kids
• Family Pictures
• Skiing for the first time in many years, With ALL of my siblings and siblings spouses

Instead here are some random pictures.  Can you guess which topic they go to?  It shouldn't be that hard. 

 

Happy New Year: An End to the Blogging Silence

A Story Remembered:

Years ago Kent and I spent a summer in Alaska.  For our anniversary we went to Glacier Bay someplace I have always wanted to see.  We got out on the first flight and so got there long before we could check in to our hotel.  So we stowed our bags, and walked down the street and went for a 'hike'.  We didn't have any water or food, but it was a short walk, through a beautiful shade forest, that ended along the banks of a river.  We sat for a few minutes and then I asked if Kent was hungry, do you want to go back now?  He replied no.  So we sat for a few more minutes and then I asked again.  He's answer remained the same.  After the third time I finally listened.  I stopped.  I stopped fretting about when we need to eat, go back, get water, etc. and simply enjoyed myself.  Its one of my favorite memories of that summer.  Nothing all that exciting happened but it was the simply joy of the moments that I remember.  We watched birds together and listen to Bald Eagles call to each other and land in trees directly over our heads.  Sometimes when I hike (my husband would say always), I often get obsessed with getting to 'the end'.  But I learned that day that sometimes the journey doesn't end when the trail does, sometime that is when the journey begins. 

A Story Untold:

Last year I wrote a kind of New Year's resolution/story.  A story of 2010.  I thought that if I wrote a New Years post I would have to review what 2010 was and was not.  As with all years of our lives 2010 was filled with many up and downs.  Some wonderful things and some not so wonderful things.  But I don't want to look back I want to look forward.  And while I WANT to loose weight (as everyone does this time of year), and read more, and watch less TV, and move out of my parents basement, my goal this year is to remember the story of the river.  To stop always worrying about what we are going to do next or what we need to do next, what to do for dinner, and when to put the kids to bed.  To enjoy the small moments as they happen.  I heard someone explain it as being present, with your whole self.

Funny as I write this I think I wrote something similar last year.  I guess some lessons take more time to master than others. Here's to a new year, with all the ups and downs and changes that it will inevitably bring.  I hope that it is a Happy one, one to remember not just for me but for all of you as well. 

Today I'm Thankful For...

A great man recently told me that "to live with gratitude ever in our hearts is to touch heaven".  So here is a list of things I'm grateful for.  (and its not even November)

• Baby steps

• That I can live with my parents for 5 months, completely overrun their house, have a toy in every corner of their house, turn dinnertime into a war zone, and they still love it

• Sunbeams, primary program, and the leasson on Elijah (whodathunk)

• ARUP

• Fall Colors

• Fuzzy socks to sleep in 

Happy Birthday Mia

I've decided to start a new tradition (its was inspired by a very cute blog my friend posted on her son).  Every year on my kids birthday I'm going to write a letter/post/whatever to describe what they are doing, their personality etc.  Mia just turned one a few weeks ago so I its a good time to start.
   

Mia,

You are a delight to my life.  I like to call you my little tropical volcano.  You are sunshine and smiles all the time, but if you erupt watch out.  You once screamed for 20 min because you were playing with a shampoo bottle and I took it away from you.  Despite a temper, you have a very pleasant personality.  You are a sweet ray of sunshine every where you go.  In church the other day when you were out in the hall you cooed at every passing person insistently; until they acknowledge you and talked to you.  You love to climb on things and I have to constantly pull you off the fireplace.  You love to play with you big sister, who gets annoyed at you taking all of her toys.  You are fascinated with water.  If we tell you its time for a bath you perk up and say your own version of bath, "Baa" and make a b-line for the tub.  You also like to play in the bathroom, you can almost open the toilet seat so you can play in the toilet water.  Another challenge you present is keeping the bathroom doors closed. 

My favorite part about you at this stage is watching you learn to walk.  You are so broad and when you walk you waddle a little and its the cutest thing ever. Before I know it you will have given up crawling altogether.  You love to be chased, and you love 'pony rides' on sisters back.  You are going to be talkative just like your sister.  You can say versions of bath, bye-bye, grandpa, mommommom, dadada, bear, and bird.  I would like to teach you some animal sound.  You are a very accomplished growler.  You are almost to the fun baby tricks stage.  I'm so excited for the next year, and to continue to watch you grow and develop.  It will be fun to watch you and your sister play together.

I think when you grow up, you are going to be very sweet, and always thinking about others.  Someone who can make friends easy and make everyone feel at ease.  You will be the calming influence in our home, as you already are most times.  

I wish that I could put to words your personality, your cuteness, and all the things that I love about you.  But this is as close as I can get.  I love you and I'm so blessed to have such a sweet little girl in my life.  I thank God everyday for sending you to us.  For whatever reason you were meant to be our little girl.  I pray that one day I might know that reason and be able to live up to  it. 

Love,

Mom

Four Posts for the Price of One (what is 1/4 of free anyways)

Fall
I was missing autumn.  I'm pretty sure spring is my favorite season, but fall is close.  Because there is no elevation change autumn hits Omaha all at the same time, it was my favorite time of the year there (expect that it meant winter was on the way).  Maybe because this is when I really explored Omaha.  I remember many trails with Melissa on my back.  Well its the end of Sept and its still in the 80s but I was missing the fall.  Since my dad lives to hunt we often went camping in the fall growing up.  I can remember many years listen to general conference on the radio and contemplating how fantastic all the colors looked together; the dark green of the pine trees, and the light green of the aspens that haven't turned yet, and the bright yellow aspens and a splash here and there of reds and orange.  But camping in the mountains in the fall is COLD.  But this weekend my family was up there and my mom suggested we take grandpas old tent-trailer.  So we went up for a night.  And it was fantastic.  We stayed surprisingly warm, and the leaves didn't disappoint.  They were as pretty as I remember them being in my youth.

Reconnecting

Speaking of my youth, this has been a summer of reconnections.  I have reconnected with people, places and things from my long ago past.

People
I have hooked up with two different friends that I haven't seen for a very long time.  The first friend  I were best friends in elementary school, Jr High and High School.  We drove or walked to school together everyday.  Sadly we drifted after graduating.  I have never been good at maintaining friendships something I try to work on.  I hadn't see her since she got married.   I was able to met her and her two boys in July.  The second friend I met in Jr High.  She was the friend that drove you crazy and you loved her anyway.  Likewise I hadn't see her since we graduated from High School.  She took me out for dinner in Aug.  I know it cliche but both of these dear people I connected with was because of facebook.  It brings me so much joy to have reconnect with these friends, and to have them in my life again.

Places 
Every year I can a remember my family would take a trip to Bear Lake.  It started out with my family, and then we invited our cousins, and a few friends.  Soon the whole neighborhood was camping with us.  Bear Lake was more than tradition; it was a ritual.  We spent all week in a swim suit, only changing out of it when it was time for bed.  But over time we stopped going.  I hadn't been to Bear Lake since the year or two after I graduated from high school.  Over Labor Day I took Kent and the girls to Bear Lake.  Kent said I was giddy as a school girl in the back seat, pointing out the landmarks and telling him around which bend in the road you would be able to see the lake.  I loved it there.  The girls had a blast.

Yummy Mud!

Things
My grandfather lives in Kamas.  As kids when we would go up there we had to entertain ourselves.  One of our favorite activities was a game call Mr. Blockhead.  It's just a simple game of varying shaped blocks which you try and stack on top of each other.  We could play with it for hours.  Earlier this summer me and the girls stopped by Grandpas house and had a few hours to kill.  Melissa was getting restless and there in the same spot in the closet was Mr Blockhead.  It was an incredible feeling watching my daughter play the same game I did, on the same floor of the same house, that I did when I was a kid. 

Birds
While my birding buddy was away, I headed out to Antelope Island and finally saw a Ruddy Turnstone, and it was turning stones.  I've had several opportunities to see this guy but never had the right timing. Here are some pictures of an Antelope that had just crossed the road on its name sake island.  I love that place. 

 Pictures from August (aka other stuff we did but I am too lazy to write about)

I'm reminded why I'm not good at photography...Melissa took this picture, turned out better than mine.

Well this one isn't bad

Dad's the man

Mom and Us at Ruth Lake

Enjoying the ride.

Mischief in the Making

Mia 'walking' with dad and grandpa

Random Donut eating contest in the living room

Mr Mom

I went back to work, so Kent is playing Mr. Mom.  Its been an adjustment for the both of us.  Today he told me the "wheres the baby...splash splash splash" story.  He was rounding up Melissa and noticed Mia was missing so he says "where's the baby" and then hears splash splash splash.  Any guesses?  Yep in the bathroom playing in the toilet water.  I had a hardy laugh at him, followed closely by eww gross.  And then the same thing happened to me.  Got to get the bathroom door to latch.